Blog Love: Warm Potato Salad

Pinterest is evil.  I can’t even tell you the number of recipes, craft projects, and gift ideas I have pinned in the last few months.  The bad part is, for ever one pin I complete, I pin 10 more!  At this rate, I will never work my way through all those pins!

Carolyn and I did come up with the idea of making a “Ten Pins to Try First” type of board, so I could always have an idea of what I was really looking forward to trying.  I haven’t done it yet, but if I had, I would have had this recipe on there for sure.

I love potatoes and I love salad.  What I don’t love is potato salad, mostly because of the mayo involved.  When I saw this warm potato salad recipe floating around on Pinterest, I knew it was a must try.  I mean bacon, caramelized onions, and potatoes.  What’s not to like??

The recipe comes from Ingrid at The Cozy Apron.  It’s such a delicious recipe and really not too hard to make.  I started with my caramelized onions and while that was simmering, I baked my potatoes and fried my bacon.  The rest was simple!

After your bacon is cooked, you make the warm bacon vinaigrette and then it’s as easy as tossing everything together.  I served our potatoes with some burgers from Dorothy Lane and, I must say, they made a perfect pair!

Jake kept me company while I cooked dinner.  He’s my little sous chef!

Jeff offered to grill the burgers.  What a great guy!  I could get used to this!

So, head on over to The Cozy Apron and show Ingrid a little blog love.  Try her Warm Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.  I promise you won’t regret it!

What pins on your pin boards are you most looking forward to trying?

Single Serve Twice Baked Potato Casserole

One of my go to side dishes (especially when I’m closing at work) is a “baked” potato with Philadelphia Low Fat Onion and Chive Cream Cheese.

I usually buy a huge bag of small potatoes and take one with me to work, scrubbed and ready to go. When I want to eat it, I pop it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes depending on the size, then cut it open and serve with a few tablespoons of the cream cheese.

Today, after watching the Pioneer Woman make twice baked potatoes on her Food Network show, I decided I wanted that for my side dish. I had already started thawing some marinated chicken breast and I thought I had all the ingredients for the potatoes, so I went to work.

First, I baked my potatoes in the microwave. Once cooked, I scooped the flesh into a bowl, added a bunch of stuff, mixed well, and threw it into buttered ramekins. Then I baked them in our convection oven. They were so good!

Quick, easy, and delicious. I couldn’t ask for a better dish!

Single Serve Twice Baked Potato Casserole
2 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sour cream*
1/4 cup Mexican cheese, divided
2 slices proscuitto, cut in thin strips (chiffonaded if you will)
1 clove garlic, grated
salt & pepper to taste

Scrub your potatoes and cook them in the microwave for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from microwave and scoop the flesh into a small bowl, discarding the skin. Add butter, sour cream, 1/8 cup of cheese, proscuitto, garlic, salt & pepper. Mix well. Divide between two medium sized buttered ramekins. Top with remaining cheese and one more slice of proscuitto if desired. Bake in a 400º oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through.

I think you could definitely make this ahead and store in the freezer. I’m thinking you wouldn’t even need to thaw them first, just put them in the oven frozen!

*Plain Greek yogurt would work wonderfully here and I would have used that if I’d had any on hand.

 

Slow and Steady Risotto

Risotto is one of those dishes I rarely make because I don’t care to stand over a hot stove for 45 minutes stirring a stock pot.  It is, however, probably my favorite way to eat rice.  I love how creamy the texture is and how the flavors meld together in my mouth.

The other day, while visiting my dad and stepmom, Nan, in Florida, Nan and I got to talking about risotto.  I knew she really liked it.  More often than not, if risotto is offered on a menu, she will get whatever dish the risotto is featured with.  When she found out I liked it to, she got excited.  Apparently there was a recipe she had been wanting to try for a while and hadn’t gotten around to it.  When asked what the recipe was, she proclaimed, “crock pot risotto!”

She threw together the easy recipe quickly and let it bubble away in the crock pot for a few hours.  Dad grilled up some devilishly delicious filets that night as well.  Steaks, risotto, and salad.  What a perfect meal!  It was probably one of my favorite meals of the whole trip.

After we returned home, I took an hour and organized our pantry.  One of the items that has been staring at me in our pantry for a looooooong time now was Arborio rice.  It took me about 2.5 seconds to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I googled slow cooker risotto and found a recipe that sounded pretty close to the one Nan made.  Then of course I added it to Pinterest.  (Does anyone else love that website as much as I do??)

You know what one of my favorite things about risotto is?  I typically have everything I need on hand!

Crock Pot Risotto
(adapted from this recipe)

4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 cup dry white wine (like Chardonnay)
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
3 3/4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
8 oz mushrooms (whatever variety you like) roughly chopped
3 tbsp half & half
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion in 3 tbsp of the olive oil until softened.  Add 1/4 cup of wine.  Cook onions and wine for a minute or two so the onion has a little time to absorb the wine.  Add the rice and stir to evenly coat the rice in the wine mixture. 

One thing I didn’t do that I wished I had was season this step.  I would add a pinch or two of salt (use your judgement) and maybe a bit of pepper.  I added salt and pepper at the end, but I think adding salt before slow cooking the dish would enhance the flavor much better.

Add rice to the slow cooker and return the pan, unwashed to the stove.  Add the chicken broth to the slow cooker as well and turn your slow cooker on high.  Cook rice mixture for 1.5 to 2.5 hours or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice appears thick and rich.

Meanwhile, while your rice is cooking, prepare your mushrooms.  In the same pan we cooked the onions, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the butter.  Saute your mushrooms until they get nice and soft.  Add the other 1/4 cup of wine and, as with the onions, let the wine absorb into the mushrooms a little.  Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and set aside.

When your risotto is completely cooked, add the half & half, mushrooms, and Parmesan.  Check the salt and pepper one final time and serve.

To accompany the risotto, I also made Asian Style Hawaiian Luau chicken.  Yes, it’s a seasoning from McCormick Grill Mates, but honestly it was so yummy!  I followed the recipe for the “Asian marinade” and let the chicken soak the entire time the risotto was cooking.  Then I grilled the chicken to perfection.  It was an insanely delicious dinner.  You really should try this one.  It made me feel like I was back on vacation again!

 

Balsamic Oven Potatoes

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for a new way to make potatoes (both white and sweet).  I, like most red blooded Americans, love potatoes in nearly every form.

Except mashed.  (I’ll wait for you to pick your jaws up off the floor.)  I like mashed potatoes, but I’d rather have something with a little crunch.  I know.  I’m weird.  Moving on…

Any time I find a recipe that looks interesting, I clip it, bookmark it, email it, etc.  Remember the sweet potato recipe from Thanksgiving?  (BTW, yum!) It was clipped from Real Simple.

One of the recipes I saw recently involved balsamic vinegar, which I also happen to love.  When Jeff and I decided to make steaks the other night, I thought it was a great opportunity to whip up these bad boys.

Balsamic Oven Potatoes
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

2 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1 small onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Saute your potatoes and onions in the oil.

Add in your garlic.  I like to grate my garlic with a small toothed microplane because it distributes the garlic more evenly.

Add your rosemary, thyme, and nutmeg.  Toss to coat.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until potatoes are heated through.

Transfer pan to oven only if your pan is oven safe! If it’s not, transfer vegetables to a 9×13″ baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Your pan should say on the bottom, but if you’re not sure, better to be safe than sorry.  Go with the baking dish.

Cook at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender.  Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.  Continue cooking in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender.  Serve warm…

with bacon wrapped, Gorgonzola topped filets and rolls.

And wine.

*The balsamic vinegar gets sweeter the longer it cooks.  My potatoes were a little too sweet, so next time I’d add just a pinch more salt to even things out.  Be sure to taste them before serving to get the flavor just right.

What is your favorite way to make or eat potatoes?

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

One of my favorite vegetables is the sweet potato.  What other vegetable tastes like dessert when you eat it?  I am always looking for new ways to cook it, but honestly I think roasting is the most delicious and flavorful.  While looking through Real Simple the other day, I pulled out an article about said vegetable.  Included in the article were five quick and easy recipes highlighting sweet potatoes.  I had a few in my pantry, so I thought I’d whip one of the recipes up to bring to my in-laws house for Thanksgiving dinner.  Try these potatoes.  I promise you won’t regret it!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary and Brown Sugar
(from Real Simple September 2010)

*The article did not have amounts of the ingredients, so I’m estimating here.  Just go with your instincts!

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp rosemary (I used dried, but fresh would be great)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°.  On a sheet pan, combine all the ingredients and toss together.  Spread the potatoes out in one even layer.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

The combination of brown sugar and rosemary was divine.  The potatoes were sweet and a little spicy.  An added bonus?  The rosemary smelled like Christmas which enhanced the atmosphere in my house while I was putting up the Christmas tree. (It’s a work in progress.)

Are any of you crazy enough to brave the crowds today?  I am, but only against my will.  I will be at work from 6a until who knows when.  Happy shopping!